The long and winding road for Johnny Manziel will now run through Memphis, Tennessee. Manziel will be immediately eligible to play in the Alliance of American Football after the Memphis Express claimed him off waivers on Saturday. Adam Schefter had the report, which was confirmed by Ben Kercheval of CBS Sports.
Memphis has needed help at quarterback all season. The Express started Christian Hackenberg in Week 1, but the Penn State product quickly showed he was not prepared for the AAF. Zach Mettenberger replaced him and created modest improvements, but not a total transformation of the offensive unit. On Saturday, however, Mettenberger got injured against the Salt Lake Stallions, setting off a chain of events:
RECAP: Silvers replaces injured Mettenberger in 22-9 loss to Salt Lake.
📰 | https://t.co/KNiCSeBAa4 pic.twitter.com/9i6ZVBRpZU
— Memphis Express (@aafexpress) March 17, 2019
Then this happened after Manziel signed an AAF player agreement:
Johnny Manziel now will go through the AAF waiver system since the San Antonio Commanders released his college allocation rights. Lowest win-loss percentage up first for Johnny Football.
— Adam Schefter (@AdamSchefter) March 17, 2019
Memphis was eligible to claim Manziel first in the waiver system:
With a 1-5 record, Memphis holds the AAF’s first waiver claim for Johnny Manziel. Memphis is on its third quarterback this season, having already started Christian Hackenberg, then going to Zach Mettenberger.
— Adam Schefter (@AdamSchefter) March 17, 2019
Then came the news that Memphis had chosen to take Manziel, given its need for quarterback help:
Johnny Manziel will go to the @aafexpress, per a release.
— Ben Kercheval (@BenKercheval) March 17, 2019
The Express will be able to give Manziel several games of work, even if they are unable to make the playoffs. Manziel, who had briefly played in the Canadian Football League with the Hamilton Tiger-Cats and Montreal Alouettes in 2018, will be able to return to the American brand of football in an attempt to resurrect his stop-and-start-filled professional career.
How well Manziel will perform in Memphis is its own question on its own terms, but for many outside observers, another result of this story is that it might raise the profile of the AAF, which is trying to gain traction and build a national following in the first year of its existence. Many football fans and television executives are wondering if this late-winter, early-spring football league can become a regular part of the American sports calendar and win the public's admiration.
Johnny Manziel will offer a test of the AAF's ability to earn its place in the sports world.
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